MPAA tells US government about ‘notorious’ websites

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has submitted a list of more than 20 “notorious” websites that allegedly facilitate copyright infringement to the US government.

In its list the MPAA has highlighted torrent and linking sites that it said are threatening the creative industries.

The list includes The Pirate Bay and Kickass.to, as well as file-hosting services Uploaded and Rapidgator.

Russia’s social network VK was also mentioned in the document, which describes the site as providing a “hotbed of illegal distribution of movie, television and music files”.

The filing from the MPAA is in response to the US Trade Representative’s (USTR’s) fourth Notorious Markets List, which it is currently compiling.

The Notorious Markets List identifies online and physical marketplaces that reportedly engage in and facilitate “substantial” piracy and counterfeiting.

Interest parties have been asked to respond to the USTR with their suggestions for inclusions by October 31.

In a statement, the MPAA said its filing noted “some of the world’s most infringing marketplaces” including direct download and streaming cyberlockers, linking websites and peer-to-peer networks.

“Identifying these notorious marketplaces helps maintain a healthy and sustainable international marketplace for creative content around the globe,” the MPAA said.

The full list, which also includes physical markets, is available on the MPAA website.

In 2010, the USTR began publishing the Notorious Markets List separately from its annual Special 301 Report.

The MPAA acts as an advocate for the US movie, home video and television industries. Its members include Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros.